Prototype | main

1. Prototype/Blue Sky

Early on, everything is possible. This can be both exhilirating and daunting. It is importent to start narrowing the limitless possibilities, to begin funneling ideas into a more actionable set of objectives. I often refer to this as a toolbox; a set of constraints we define in order to gain focus and begin crafting our vision for the product.

Art should begin exploring theme alongside prototype development. I highly recommend resisting the temptation to start making the prototype beautiful with custom art. Artist time spent during this phase is invested in research, creating theme boards, brainstorming and supporting the prototype with placeholder assets (gray box/Unity store, etc). Some new art should be created to support the design documentation, preferably not tied to a specific theme.

Sample Team: Lead designer, Product Owner, Art Director/Lead, Concept Artist, Engineer

Prerequisite: Initial design presented and approved for prototype and visual development

Goal: To prove out core gameplay, determine theme, initial narrative, tone, audience

Questions to ask ourselves:

"Who is our target audience? Are we creating a mobile casual core puzzler with mass appeal? A mid core rpg for console? What are their expectations and how can we exceed them?"

"Is this an existing brand or a new IP? If it is an established brand, what visual aspects are essential to adhere to and where is there opportunity to explore?"

"How can we stand out in the marketplace? Is there a void in the market that we can fill? Are we evolving a genre or crafting something highly innovative? Who is the direct competition and how will we separate our product from theirs? What is our hook? What is the soul of our next big hit?"

"What trends are we seeing in current, successful entertainment and social media? Better yet, what do we think will be trending a year from now? Are we fast-following and in jeopardy of being out dated at release or are we blazing new ground?"

"What are the unique talents of this team and what are we most passionate about creating?"

Research and Exploration

To answer the above questions, we need to do lots of research while maintaining a high level of communication across the team. We need to cast a wide net here and avoid running with the first good idea that comes along. This is the magical exploration phase; the quest to take all of our information, culminating in the critical foundation that will guide and inform future decisions. The best way to organize this effort is through the creation of theme boards.

What is a Theme Board?

A theme board is a collage of imagery and adjectives that define the time, place, technology and tone of an idea. Theme boards should be tested with the intended audience and the team to find what resonates strongly and test assumptions.

As an example, let's say our core game mechanic is a mobile rpg with a strong social hook. Our initial impulse may be to jump straight into fantasy. Great, we will use that as a control Theme Board. It's safe and obvious and perhaps the best direction, but before we commit to fantasy, let's open up our minds to other possibilities. Time to brainstorm!

Brainstorming themes should be done in a group and include a diverse group of creatives. Multiple sessions are a good idea and present a great opportunity to include people with different perspectives and in different roles. Engineers, Marketing, Localization and everyone else around you who express a desire and enthusiasm to contribute should be considered. All ideas are valid and recorded. Dot vote on potential themes and start narrowing down the list of themes to 4-6.

Creating a Theme Board

Creating a theme board begins with collecting tons of images and bucketing them in to the various themes you have decided on. I also like working with the team to create a list of descriptive words or phrases that help guide the search for each theme. Those words and imagery work together to portray the desired tone.

Once again, grab a few creatives and start sorting through the massive resource library you have assembled. Using your desired tone and artistic eye, pull out the artwork that best supports your growing vision. At this point you are ready to create your final mood boards and present them to stakeholders for review.

Selecting a Theme

The process of selecting a final theme will vary depending on your specific studio. I've found Playtest Cloud works great for getting unbiased reactions from your intended audience. For this reason, don't include boards that the team wouldn't enjoy developing. Take that data, the team's preference, the marketplace opportunities, studio leadership's feedback and make a decision. Time to break out that sketchbook and stylus and get to work!

Next: Preproduction!